“Gran would’ve flipped, Ric. She worked hard to keep it a secret. You have to understand that aside from my family, only you and Carter know. And Carter only knows because he figured it out when he met me.”
I hope Ric knows if things had been different, less complicated, I would’ve told him. I’d wanted to tell him. And if we’d been Paired I certainly would have. It was part of the reason I was hoping for that to happen so badly.
“And you have magic with Carter?”
I nod.
“Wow,” he says. Ric paces around his living room.
“I know,” I say. I take another drink of my coffee, but it’s empty.
Ric runs a hand through his short hair. “I can’t believe it. And the Enforcer stuff—that could’ve seriously screwed you forever. Why do you even want to do that?”
“My magic,” I say. He looks at me funny. “I want my magic back.”
He scoffs. “You can’t. That’s impossible.”
“I’m alive and that’s impossible.”
“How?” he asks, falling back into the couch next to me.
I don’t want to tell him the next part, but I feel like I have to. He’s handled everything else so far. “I have to find that demon that killed my family. There’s a ritual I can perform to get back my magic, but I need the demon.”
Ric holds up a hand. “A ritual with a demon? Isn’t that a story, a myth?”
“All stories come from truth—and I know some of the details.” I pause and words from the books and pictures all flash through my head. “But without my demon it doesn’t matter. I have to find it first.”
Ric’s brows are all bunched up, like he’s about to say something.
“No one can know, okay? I have to pass the finals first, and then I have to find the demon.”
He doesn’t yell. That’s surprising. I expected a lecture or some kind of questioning of my mental health. “You find the demon and do the ritual and ta-da. Magic?”
“So it seems,” I say. He grows quiet. “I’m looking, but I haven’t found anything solid yet. Demons are good at hiding.”
“How long will you look?”
“As long as it takes,” I say.
Ric leans forward, resting his hands on his thigh. “We’re all looking for our own demon. I think of Sean’s every day. Maybe all Enforcers start with that on their hearts,” Ric says. His face gets a far-off look and then he focuses in on me. “I want to help you.”
I shake my head. “There’s nothing to help with yet.”
“It doesn’t matter. When there is, we have to have each other’s back. No lies. I know you have Carter now and I’m sure he’s a bucket of abs, but I’m forever.”
I smile and take his hand. “So we’re okay?”
“We were always okay, darlin’,” he says. I hug him.
“Let’s never fight again.”
“Done. I’m too young for stress lines,” Ric says, parting from our hug. He puts his feet up on the coffee table and leans back into the couch. “Now, tell me about the Carter kiss.”
I spend the whole morning there, catching Ric up on what he’s missed.
9 September 1841
I fear I am a lame daughter and more so a lame witch. My brothers and sisters are far superior to me and I will never be what they are. I am not powerless, yet this world is changing and I fear my power is not enough to withstand condemnation. I am not as advanced as others, as my siblings who lead as our parents do. It exceedingly depresses my poor mother, who was married with three children by my age. I don’t know if I want that life—marriage and children. I’m becoming an old maid and who would be imposed to take on such a wife? A wife of mediocre powers and old age?
My phone beeps, and with Emmaline’s journal open in front of me, I look down. It’s Carter, finally. Be there in twenty and we’ll go practice.
Practice what?
Anything. Everything.
I’m almost absolutely positive I’m blushing. I text him back quickly with just a smile because I think that says enough. I look back at the journal, but I can’t read any more of Emmaline’s frustration with her siblings, her family, her lack of ability, or her worthlessness. I get it. But today, today I am happy. I sort of just want to be happy.
I slide the journal under my mattress, put on some shoes, and go downstairs so I can be ready when Carter comes.
Gran’s and Pop’s voices trail into the foyer from the kitchen. Connie’s follows and she walks past me with an armful of food.
“Going somewhere?” Gran asks me, right behind Connie. Pop stops behind her. They all stare at me. “We’re about to have lunch.”
“Carter and I are going to train with Ellore. Only four more days, so we want to be ready,” I say. Connie beams at me. Gran looks from my face to Connie’s.
“Why is she smiling like that?” Gran asks.
I do not want to have this conversation right now. “No reason.”
“You’re blushing. Why are you blushing?”
Leave it to Gran. “I’m not,” I say.
The doorbell rings, and all four of us move at the same time toward the door. I’m the closest, but I barely beat Pop there. The door opens and Carter’s eyes are wide, staring at all four of us in the doorway.
“Hello,” he says, flashing his smile. Gran isn’t going to like that smile. “I’m Carter Prescott.”
Pop passes me the dish in his hands. I start to protest, but he raises an eyebrow at me. “I’m Frank Warren. Penelope’s grandpa.” Gran clears her throat. “That’s my wife, Deborah.”
Carter holds out his hand, and Pop shakes it. “I’ve heard a lot about you both,” Carter says.
“You should stay for lunch,” Gran says. “You kids have been working hard lately. You deserve a break.”
I start to protest but Carter says he’d love to at the same time. Gran tells Connie to get another place setting and they all disperse into their different directions. Carter steps into our house.
“This is a bad idea. Gran isn’t going to like this.”
“What, me?”
“She didn’t even want me to be an Enforcer, Carter. Dating one? I think this is all her biggest nightmare.”
“Ah, but I’m not just any Enforcer. She didn’t want you to become one because of the magic, right? I’m the perfect ingredient: since you can use my magic, she won’t object to me.”
I bit my lip. “She doesn’t know about that. I didn’t tell her—about anything,” I say.
Carter’s brow furrows, like he wants to ask something, but it passes. “I guess I will win her over with charm.”
“This is a bad idea. We should get out of here as quickly as possi—”
Carter kisses me quickly and the protest falls out of my thoughts.
“Hi,” he says, still very close to me.
I smile back. “Hi.”
He kisses me again, this time a little longer. “I spent all day thinking about you.”
“Me too,” I say.
From the back of the house, Gran calls my name. With a sigh I slip my hand into Carter’s. “Be brave,” I say.
“Your grandpa doesn’t seem too scary.”
“He’s not the one you should worry about,” I say.
I hold Carter’s hand under the table all through lunch, and everyone is really good with Carter. He and Pop spend a lot of the meal talking about fishing, which I didn’t even know Carter did. By the time we finish eating, they have more fishing dates planned than I can keep track of.
“We should go soon,” I say to Carter. He nods and checks his watch.
“Help me clear the table first,” Gran says to me. She tosses her napkin onto her plate.
“The blueberry pie was delicious, Mrs. Warren.”
Gran looks surprised for a moment. “Thank you. Old family recipe.”